The prior art has a variety of devices and methods directed to female sexual functioning and response. Many of these devices are designed to provide sexual pleasure to women with normally functioning sexual response.
In some women, sexual response is less than normal or totally absent. For example, estrogen-deficient women may experience vaginal discomfort during intercourse due to reduced lubrication and reduced resilience of vaginal tissue. Over time, atrophy of vaginal tissue may worsen, thereby diminishing sexual response even further.
The prior art also includes devices and methods to treat disorders of the female sex organs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,741,895 describes a vaginal probe that applies heat, vibration, electrical stimulation and/or pressure to vaginal nerves to treat female sexual dysfunction. US 2007/0021809 describes devices and methods that apply topical heating or cooling to treat inflammation or irritation of a woman's genitals. There is no data showing that any of these prior art devices and methods provides a lasting benefit to women experiencing vaginal atrophy or other diminished sexual function, however.